Evidence of Lawmakers Seeking Trump Pardons Next in Jan. 6 Hearings: Schiff

The House select committee investigating last year's January 6 Capitol riot will present evidence showing GOP lawmakers sought presidential pardons from former President Donald Trump, congressman Adam Schiff said Sunday.

Among the bombshells dropped during the committee's first public hearing on Thursday was the allegation that several House Republicans sought presidential pardons for their roles in attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Committee vice chair Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming specifically named Representative Scott Perry, a Pennsylvania Republican, and alluded to more. Perry rejected the accusation.

Schiff, a prominent Democrat from California and vice member of the committee, spoke about the hearings during an appearance on ABC's This Week. During his interview, Schiff pledged that evidence of the lawmakers seeking pardons from Trump will be shown during future hearings and called them "the most compelling evidence of a consciousness of guilt" related to January 6.

'We'll Present the Evidence'

"So we'll present the evidence that we have, as the vice-chair outlined, along with the evidence of other actions that were taken by members of the Congress."

Schiff did not provide a date or timeline for when this evidence will be shown. However, the committee is set to hold five more hearings through September, with the next one being scheduled for Monday morning.

"But, again, I don't want to get too far ahead of the committee," he added. "And we'll be presenting that in the days and weeks to come."

He also pledged that the committee will show evidence that Trump declined to denounce Capitol rioters who were calling for then-Vice President Mike Pence to be hanged. At the hearing on Thursday, committee members alleged that Trump suggested that his one-time running mate "deserved" such treatment for not helping overturn the election. Trump responded Friday on his Truth Social channel that the allegation was "either a made up story by somebody looking to become a star, or FAKE NEWS!"

"We will, I think, be demonstrating the proof behind that comment," Schiff said. "Everything that the chair [Democratic Representative Bennie Thompson of Mississippi] and vice chair [Cheney] said during our hearing was well-documented and analyzed, and dotted every 'i' and crossed every 't' in vetting what our committee would say. So we'll be presenting the evidence of that."

'Shameless Lie'

In the aftermath of the committee's allegations, Perry's office issued statements strongly denying that he ever sought a pardon from the former president. The congressman himself also issued a denial the morning after the hearing on his Twitter account.

"The notion that I ever sought a Presidential pardon for myself or other Members of Congress is an absolute, shameless, and soulless lie," Perry tweeted.

Newsweek reached out to Schiff for comment.